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South Africa: 1 000 Shacks Flooded in Deluge
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Cape Argus (Cape Town)
12 May 2008
Posted to the web 13 May 2008
Leila Samodien
Cape Town
About a thousand shacks were flooded in Kosovo as heavy rains beat down on the Philippi informal settlement and other parts of the Western Cape at the weekend.
The city's Disaster Risk Management team said that while other settlements in and around the city had been mildly affected by Saturday's downpour, Kosovo had been the worst hit area.
Shacks there had been badly waterlogged, with up to 15cm of rain having seeped into the structures.
Disaster Risk Management head Greg Pillay said civil work - such as the construction of a sewerage system and the upgrade of roads - had also played a part in directing the water towards the shacks.
"We contacted the contractors and advised them to redirect the water with trenches; we also asked them to assist with unclogging in certain parts where construction is taking place," he said.
The hundreds of families who had been displaced as a result of the flood objected to moving to Weltevreden community hall, which was initially arranged as a relief shelter, because it was too far.
They were subsequently moved to a creche in Kosovo, where they will remain until their structures have dried out.
Pillay said they would also be provided with food and blankets. He said they were positive the area would dry up soon because the weather was expected to settle this week.
Two other informal settlements near the airport, Europe and Never Never, were also affected by the rains.
Thirty shacks were slightly flooded at the Europe settlement but the families did not need disaster relief and opted instead to stay with family and friends.
Some shacks at the Never Never settlement had rain damage, but residents also declined assistance from the city and mopped up themselves.
Pillay said their team, along with their specialised engineers, had taken a pro-active approach towards flooding this year to predict which areas would be worst hit.
They had then taken the necessary action, such as digging trenches where they were most needed.
Cape Town Weather Office forecaster Lynette van Schalkwyk said there was a 30 percent chance of light showers today and Tuesday morning.
By Wednesday, things were expected to clear up, but there was also a possibility of the rain returning on Thursday and on Friday evening.
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No downpour was expected for Saturday, she said.
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